Psychology Self-concept and Awareness

Psychological Self

Self-concept

• Definition: The overall perception and understanding of oneself, encompassing beliefs, feelings, and thoughts about personal attributes.
• Components:
  • Personal attributes (traits, abilities)
  • Social roles (relationships, responsibilities)
  • Values and beliefs
• Types:
  • Actual self: Who you believe you are
  • Ideal self: Who you aspire to be
  • Ought self: Who you feel you should be based on external expectations

Self-awareness

• Definition: The ability to recognize and understand one's own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
• Types:
  • Private self-awareness: Reflecting on personal traits and feelings.
  • Public self-awareness: Understanding how one is perceived by others.
• Benefits:
  • Enhanced decision-making
  • Improved emotional regulation
  • Better interpersonal relationships

Identity Development

• Definition: The process of developing a distinct personality and sense of self over time.
• Stages (according to Erikson's psychosocial development):
  • Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescence): Exploration of different roles and beliefs.
  • Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adulthood): Forming intimate relationships while maintaining personal identity.
• Influencing Factors:
  • Family dynamics
  • Cultural background
  • Life experiences

Emotional Regulation

• Definition: The ability to monitor, evaluate, and modify emotional reactions to achieve desired outcomes.
• Strategies:
  • Cognitive reappraisal: Changing thoughts to alter emotional responses.
  • Suppression: Trying to inhibit emotional expression (less effective).
  • Problem-solving: Addressing the source of negative emotions directly.
• Importance:
  • Reduces stress and anxiety
  • Enhances relationships and well-being

Self-esteem

• Definition: The subjective evaluation of one's worth or value.
• Components:
  • Self-confidence: Belief in one's abilities.
  • Self-respect: Value placed on oneself, influenced by achievements and social acceptance.
• Levels:
  • High self-esteem: Positive self-image, resilience to criticism.
  • Low self-esteem: Negative self-image, sensitivity to criticism, risk for mental health issues.
• Influences:
  • Early experiences and feedback from others
  • Societal standards and expectations

These concepts interact and contribute to an individual's psychological self, affecting overall mental well-being and behavior.

Psychological Self

• Self-concept is how we perceive and understand ourselves, encompassing our beliefs, feelings, and thoughts about our attributes, social roles, and values.
• It includes our actual self (who we believe we are), ideal self (who we aspire to be), and ought self (who we feel we should be based on external expectations).

Self-Awareness

• Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
• Private self-awareness involves reflecting on our personal traits and feelings, while public self-awareness involves understanding how others perceive us.
• Benefits of self-awareness include enhanced decision-making, improved emotional regulation, and better interpersonal relationships.

Identity Development

• Identity development is the process of developing a distinct personality and sense of self over time.
• According to Erik Erikson's psychosocial development theory, adolescence involves identity vs. role confusion, where individuals explore different roles and beliefs.
• In young adulthood, individuals face the stage of intimacy vs. isolation, where they form intimate relationships while maintaining their personal identity.
• Family dynamics, cultural background, and life experiences all influence identity development.

Emotional Regulation

• Emotional regulation is the ability to monitor, evaluate, and modify our emotional reactions to achieve desired outcomes.
• Cognitive reappraisal involves changing our thoughts to alter emotional responses, while suppression involves trying to inhibit emotional expression, which is less effective.
• Problem-solving addresses the source of negative emotions directly.
• Emotional regulation reduces stress and anxiety and enhances relationships and well-being.

Self-Esteem

• Self-esteem is the subjective evaluation of our own worth or value.
• It includes self-confidence, the belief in our abilities, and self-respect, the value we place on ourselves, influenced by achievements and social acceptance.
• High self-esteem is characterized by a positive self-image and resilience to criticism, while low self-esteem is associated with a negative self-image, sensitivity to criticism, and a risk for mental health issues.
• Early experiences and feedback from others, as well as societal standards and expectations, influence self-esteem.